In 2006, may every synopsis sent to you be clear and compelling, may every query send shivers of excitement up your spine, and may every editor (and George Clooney) fall at your feet in adoration of your snarkiness, six-figure offers held aloft in their hands (or, in the case of George, a platinum pail of gin and matching ring with a rock the size of a pigeon.)

Happy New Year, Miss Snark. I'm amazed at your patience and energy in operating the Crapometer with such care and humor. I've learned a lot from your comments and from the comments of other Snarklings. You clearly love your work and care about good writing. And in spite of your merciless manhandling of us authors, I can tell you're a nice person. Thanks for all you do.

One of my goals for the new year is to get agency representation and get my book published. Finding your blog, I have no doubt, has increased my chances. It's a delight to hear something from an agent that is not a "Dear Author," form letter (I've collected a few already!). I suspect because you cannot individually reply to people in your rejection pile at the office(fearful of death by resubmission or just irrational retorts) that doing the crapometer is a way to help you help us-- a step removed (sorta like Don Maass and the "Breakout Novel" workshops-- they are terrific tools and he may get the type of "breakout" novels he wants to represent). It's a win-win.

I hope 2006 brings a new platinum gin pail, a diamond-studded collar for That Dog of yours *s* (My Fat Cat would make short work of K.Y., I fear) and a fateful meeting with the Clooney of your dreams. I could probably thank you enough but then the monitor would draw ants and you'd never look at anything I posted again!

With the new year comes a new readers poll, er, the ninth one that is. You can vote or nominate anything published in 2005 in the P&E Readers Poll at http://www.critters.org/predpoll/ , so mosey on over if you want to participate.

Happy New Year, Miss Snark. And my three-year-old cocker spaniel, Matilda, asked me to say Hey and Happy 2006 to Killer Yap. She hopes he likes girls with black curls and slender waists. She's a bit nervous about the Killer part and hopes he doesn't have any tattoos. But she has no problem with kissing on the first date. Oh, and she wants him to know up front that there's no chance of her giving him baby Yaps. The vet took care of that.